Author's note: Hello everyone! I'm back! It's going to be a bit until we reach canon-verse, but I hope you like this chapter! We're finding out what they're going to do with Kendra. And there is so much Raxtus in this chapter and I am extremely happy about that. (I know when I'm obsessed.)

Don't let me delay you any longer, here's the next chapter!


The Child's Cry

Shiara was watching the child sleep and felt a sudden protectiveness over her. No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, it continued to stubbornly cloud her emotions. She found herself staring at the peach face over and over again as the breathing continued steadily.

The day turned to night and the night turned once more to day. Fairies didn't need much sleep, so Shiara didn't mind watching her a single bit. Before long, the child opened her eyes once more. Shiara all but jumped up and flew over to her.

She was unsure about what to do next, she had never taken care of a human before. "Are you hungry?" She asked, thinking maybe there was a small chance of hope the child would understand her. Alas, still no response came from the child's mouth.

Shiara flew upwards with a jolt, for she had an idea. She flew over back towards the pond to grab three things. A few plump berries, a leaf filled with water, and a single nut. She held them in front of the child in a display, telling her to pick one, or a few.

The child's fingers went straight for the berries as she mashed them happily in her mouth. Shiara noted that for the future. Berries were her favorite too, especially the plump strawberries that could be found just outside the fairy shrine. Shiara would have to give her one in the future.

"What am I going to do with you?" Shiara asked, her face resting on her knuckles thoughtfully from where she now sat on a nearby flower.

The child continued laughing innocently, the red berries juice running down the side of her face.


Raxtus was excited. He was about to leave Wyrmroost and get to see Shiara for the first time in a long time. As much as he wouldn't admit it, he missed her a bit more than a grown dragon should miss his motherly figure, let alone if they were a fairy. Then again, no other dragons were raised by fairies, so there was no specific rule against it.

He carefully approaches the shrine before bowing his head slightly, in a show of respect. He felt the familiar presence pass through his head, almost feeling like a smile, but it told him he was alright to go. He treaded through the shallow waters and walked into the shrine, to emerge seconds later, dry, back at Fablehaven.

The preserve hadn't changed a bit, he noticed as he walked. Fairies frittered around him, flowers grower, trees grew, everything he normally saw. But something was different, he noticed. Shiara wasn't waiting for him.

Usually, whenever he came to visit, somehow Shiara would know before he did and meet him at the shrine. Yet another thing he wouldn't admit, how much he liked to know she waited for him, despite how much he tried to deny it when she teased him playfully.

For a minute, he just stood, occasionally stealing glances around. But yet he still found no Shiara.

"Excuse me," he asked, turning to face a fairy with bright red hair. "Do you know where Shiara is?"

"And why would I care?" The fairy asked, "She's just a goody-two-shoes and not very pretty too." A few other fairies chattered in agreement.

Raxtus growled slightly, but it only succeeded in adding to the fairies ego. He sighed as he tucked his wings slightly in and walked away. He didn't know where he was going, but hopefully, it would be better than where he was now.

Suddenly, he heard soft laughter coming from his right. His first instinct was to ignore it, for it was most likely just another fairy starved for attention but it also sounded…. different. Genuine, to put it one way. He headed aimlessly over towards the laughter. It was almost like a trap, a web to weave you in, but at the same time, it once more felt genuine. True, to put it another way.

"Aren't you a cutie?" He heard someone say, but he also recognized the voice.

"Shiara?" He called out from where he stood currently in the bushes, before peeking out.

Shiara was flying over flowers, and in a basket, there was a bubble of fabric, consisting of a tiny human, Raxtus noticed. He did not remember the term for them, but he knew they were young. Very young. And almost a little cute. Alright, she was very cute, he admitted it. With her blue eyes and pout punk lips, it was getting hard to turn away from her, but soon he did.

"Raxtus!" Shiara flew over and hugged him as best as she could, despite the major size difference. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"I thought I'd drop by for a bit," Raxtus's nose nudged her gently, in a show of affection.

"How have you been?" Shiara asked, "I haven't seen you in a while now!"

"Same old," Raxtus said. "Who's this?" Be gestured towards the child.

"I don't know," Shiara said. "I found her."

"Found her?" Raxtus asked. "Don't humans take care of them or something?"

"Usually, yes," Shiara said. "But I haven't found her parents yet, and she won't let me leave her. And I don't trust any of the other fairies with this, for obvious reasons."

"What do you mean you can't leave her?" Raxtus asked. "Can't you just go?"

"Watch," Shiara said, flying away a little bit, only to result in sobs from the child. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah," Raxtus admitted. "Have you taken her to the caretakers? They might know what to do, better than us at least."

"Raxtus, she may be small, but she's still ten times bigger than me." Shiara giggled, "Maybe you can pick her up?"

Raxtus eyes widened. "Me? I'll drop her!"

"No, you won't!" Shiara said. "Just be careful, and remember she's very fragile, so falling even a foot could hurt her!"

"Not helping," Raxtus said. "What if I just go get the caretakers?"

"Raxtus, you're still a dragon." Shiara said, "I'm not sure they're quite ready for that, even if you are a tiny fairy one."

"You're really not helping my self-esteem either," Raxtus said.

"Just cradle her well you walk," Shiara said, ignoring his last comment. "Or I could put her on your back, I just need you to get her to the gardens near the house, I'll be able to take it from there."

"I'm still not sure…" Raxtus said.

"Please?" Shiara asked, her eyes widening in the hope to look more persuasive.

Raxtus sighs, "Alright."

"Yay!" Shiara said.

Raxtus carefully dipped his head down and put it inches away from hers, she looked into his eyes. Raxtus couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. And suddenly, she sneezed.

Raxtus jumped up as if he were in a cartoon and ended up a few feet away, a few of his scales facing upwards as if he were a cat. As soon as he recovered himself, he turned to face Shiara, who was currently beside herself in laughter. "Really?" He growled.

Shiara continued laughing, a sound like a small bell.

Ignoring her, Raxtus approached the child again, who's eyes widened and her nose was a little red and runny from the sneeze. He carefully lifted her and cradled her against his chest tightly, careful not to let her slip away. The child hummed and cuddled into him as if he were the softest blanket and not a dragon. Raxtus mentally huffed at that, but at least the child was happy.

He walked slowly over towards the gardens, and at some point, Shiara must have sat down on his head for that's where she was now. And before long, they reached the house.


I swear though, I go on hiatus for four days and I come back to 56 notifications from this website. Well, I'm back now. My head has been hurting like crazy lately and I've been having trouble writing because of that, which is why I took a small break. I feel (somewhat) better and managed to get this written (not my favorite, but it's done). Hoping to be back into my groove soon.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. My thanks to Jaylalovesreading, By Myself Alone, Puppydogs68, and last but certainly not least, Croustade (Ooh! A new friend!), for the lovely reviews!

See you all around!